What should the Chicago Blackhawks do with their 2024-2025 pending free agents?

Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson is always thinking about the future of his franchise. Arguably, his biggest responsibility is managing the salary cap.

Davidson has already taken care of several contract extensions since the season concluded, most notably rewarding Alex Vlasic for his stellar first season with a six-year pact and giving Lukas Reichel a two-year, $2.4 million extension. These deals are both considered wins for the front office and the players involved. They give the players some financial stability for the coming years and allow Davidson to plan out how much cap space he will have at his disposal in the coming years.

According to Capfriendly.com, the Hawks will have $57,681,667 in cap space following the 2024-2025 season. That number will decrease after this summer, as Davidson will look to bolster his roster with some free agent or trade acquisitions.

Nevertheless, he should have plenty of money to extend the six players currently on the roster set to hit unrestricted or restricted free agency in July 2025. Let’s take a look at who those players are, if the Hawks will extend them, let them walk, or trade them, and what salaries they could command if re-signed.

Andreas Athanasiou

Athanasiou had a difficult second season as a Blackhawk. After tying for the team lead with 20 goals in 2022, Athanasiou received a two-year, $8.5 million extension. This season, he battled injuries and posted just two goals and nine points in 28 games.

He showed some chemistry with Reichel late in the year, but, as of now, it doesn’t appear Athanasiou, 29, will be re-signed following next season, as the Hawks will look to make room for theirrising forwards prospects in the lineup. Davidson will have to retain salary in a trade, but Athanasiou’s elite speed and skill could gain some modest attraction at the trade deadline.

Philipp Kurashev

Kurashev revitalized his career this past season alongside Connor Bedard, more than doubling his career highs in goals and points (18 goals, 54 points). He likely won’t be a first-liner by the time the rebuild is complete, but he appears to be a solid top-six scorer. Davidson may not be in a rush to extend him in order to see if last season was just a flash in the pan. But if Kurashev has another season on par with 2023, it’s plausible he could receive a long-term deal similar to Vlasic’s at around a $5 million AAV.

Ryan Donato

The Harvard product has proven to be a reliable 25-30-point scorer over his career. A jack-of-all-trades, Donato spent time on every forward line last season and endeared himself to teammates with his work ethic and penchant for winning battles.

That being said, like Athanasiou, Donato may find himself pushed out the door due to his age (28) and incoming prospects. With only a $2 million AAV, contenders will certainly be interested in Donato’s services as a rental for the playoffs.

Landon Slaggert

Like Frank Nazar, the Hawks got Slaggert into some games this spring in order to burn the first year of his entry-level contract and lower his salary on his second contract. The 2020 third-rounder played adequately in his brief audition, registering a goal and 4 points over 16 games in limited minutes. There’s a good chance Slaggert will spend some time in the AHL next season with Rockford in order to further develop his game, but the Hawks will most definitely re-sign him, likely to a short-term deal worth around $1 million annually.